Shadow's of the Night
by Akiryu Kitsune
Summary: [AU part 1 of 3] i absolutely suck at summaries, so just read and review. rated for language, blood and gore, and dark themes. uses characters from the comics, but mentions the movie plot.
1. Chapter One

Author Note: This story deals mostly with the Brotherhood, but the X-Men make their little appearances in most chapters. If you didn't like the original Shadows of the Night was going, with the blood and guts character of Phantom, then get the hell away from here… Because Aiyen is the blood and guts character of this story.

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men, or the Brotherhood, or anything else of that nature. I own Aiyen and Kairyu Runke, the plot of this story, and my creepy thoughts.

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"Alright Shadow, I think you got it." Mystique said, her voice trembling with disgust. I could understand why, though, my hands and arms were covered with synthetic blood. The rest of my body was splattered with the same synthetic blood, and I was enjoying the feeling. An inpatient sounding cough came from the same direction, so I stood up and looked toward Magneto and Mystique. "I'm going to throw up now, enjoy your lecturing Erik."

"So, I take it Mystique is squeemish?" My twin brother Kairyu said from beside me, splattered from head to bare feet in synthetic blood. It amazed people how much alike we were at times, while we could be so different other times.

"Must be, but that's the first I've noticed of it though. Looks as though you two enjoyed yourselves, I've never seen anyone destroy so many synthenoids with their bare hands… literally." Magneto looked around at the destruction in amazement , glaring at Sabretooth to make him leave. The clawed weirdo tossed us a jealous look before leaving the room, licking his claws clean as he obeyed orders. "You two can go clean up now, I'm going to go check on Mystique."

_'Yeah, check on her… I doubt it!'_ I sent telepathically to Kairyu, laughing at his response.

_'If they don't end up doing the horizontal mutant mash, I'll play Santa Claus for the human orphans this year!'_ Kairyu sent back sarcastically. (A/ N: that is **NOT** a blow to orphans. i actually volunteer at my local orphanage **AND** homeless shelter, and not only during Christmas and other holidays. for anyone wondering why i volunteer: it racks up high school credits quickly, and it's just good for the soul… to do something nice for the less fortunate. it makes me feel like i can make a difference, keeps my mind away from thoughts of suicide and i have those a lot, anyways, and it makes those kids feel special inside. just thought i'd clear that up… my mom nearly knocked me out when she read that.)

_'You know, Kairyu, that's not very nice. There are quite a few mutants at the orphanage, and all those bright little faces-'_

_'Aiyen, you're starting to make me sick. I was joking anyways_…_ like I'd go near a human without killing it!'_ He said before walking away, heading toward his room and leaving me alone in the hallway. I just rolled my eyes and headed to my own room, needing a shower and a break after training all day. After my shower, I dressed and street clothes and took a trip to New York for lunch and a chance to stare at the Statue of Liberty. I was with the Brotherhood when Magneto was arrested, my job just never dealt with street work. I was too strong for that, me and Kairyu both. Lady Liberty was the only thing about Earth that appealed to me anymore, the rest was just a rotting wasteland that the homo-sapiens had polluted and destroyed.

_Why do you humans choose to do this to your world… To each other! I only share Magneto's views because you're killing yourselves anyways, but you just don't see it!_ The Brotherhood never appealed to me either, but they were the only option I had at the time. It's hard enough being a teenager, try being a mutant! And while you're at it… a murderer, too! I sat on the shore of Manhattan Harbor, staring at Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty. Or… at least I tried to.

"You're under arrest, mutie! Comply and we won't kill you, not until the judge tells us we can anyways." I stood up and looked back over my shoulder at them, having no intentions to comply… Or kill them, if I could help it. The Anti-Mutant Troops began to shake, the air suddenly getting very cold as a thick fog hid them from my view. "What the hell!"

_That's what I wanna know, bud._ I thought, letting my telepathy fan out to find the mutant causing the fog. I found five other mutants, one of them reminding me of Sabretooth. The gloves on my hands emitted the smell of rotting eggs and burnt flesh: the smell of liquid sulfer and other types of acids burning my skin to keep me in pain. The pain keeps my powers under control, and gave the Troops a way to find me. _DAMN!_ I thought while dodging attacks, realizing I had no choice but to kill them. Shoving my fist through one's chest, I swung my leg up and snapped another one's neck. Blood covered my left fist and lower right leg, but I didn't give a damn anymore than I did while training. This was all fun and games to me, and the way I slaughtered the Troops proved it. The two I'd already killed fell to the ground, the fog becoming a mist and showing me that the other Troops were backing away. I smirked and dove at them, forcing my hands through their skin and riping out sections of their skeletons and various vital organs. Once satisfied that all of them were dead, I looked over at the other five mutants and took in the expressions on their faces. The woman and a blue demon-ish guy looked disgusted, The guy I recognized as Havok's brother Scott looked absolutely pissed (as always, according to Havok), and the other two looked interested in my skills. "Scott Summers… You're Havok's older brother, I recognize you from that picture he showed me." The mist became a dense fog again, hiding all of them from view.

"You must work for the Brotherhood, then?" A female voice asked from the fog, sounding angered by my killing abilities. I decided to take my chances, hoping to end this without more bloodshed.

"Ja, I work with Magneto." I heard something move behind me in the fog, having to shut my telepathy down when my head started to pound. _I guess reading these peoples minds isn't such a good idea, now is it?_ I thought sarcastically, agitated with whoever was behind me.

"You don't wanna go reading Gambit's mind, petite, he got a few tricks up his sleeves." A voice said from the fog, shrouded in a thick Cajun accent that was starting to piss me off. I didn't like this guy, I'd heard too much about his "charm" from Mystique.

"What do you want with me?"

"Ya just slaughtered close to fifty people, kid. Whaddya think we want with yer little ass?"

"They attacked me first, you saw them."

"Ja, and ve vere going to help you. Murder is not just a crime, it is also a terrible sin."

"I don't give a damn about sins, God gave up on me when He made me a mutant!"

"God doesn't give up on his creations, zey give up on him."

"Save it Elf, she don't look interested in yer religious lectures." :SNIKT:

I had no other choice. I was outnumbered five-to-one, and I'd made them mad. So I ran, moving as fast as my legs could carry me. Back at Asteroid M, I slipped quietly to my room and changed clothes for the second time in three hours. Flopping down on my bed, I cursed myself for running away like that. I didn't normally run, but this time something in the back of my mind told me that running may have been the best idea. Closing my eyes and letting exaustion take over, I fell into a dreamless sleep.

NARRITIVE; X-MANSION

"Professor, this kid can kill with her bare hands. She was ripping bones and vital organs out of the Anti-Mutant Troops' bodies like they were paper instead of flesh and bone, are you sure we don't have a file on her?" Cyclops asked, a small amount of fear registering on his face at the news that Cerebro had no other information on their newest Brotherhood discovery.

"I have a small file on her, but it's nothing more than a birth certificate and other things of that nature. From what Beast has been able to find, her name is Aiyen Runke. She's 17 and has been with the Brotherhood her entire life, there was no information on her family except that she has a twin brother named Kairyu. From what I understand, they're both psychics who can turn life energy into explosives." Professor Xavier said, looking at the computer screen almost in horror. As he read through the file Cerebro had on Aiyen Runke, he almost regretted not telling the X-Men about it. But he held to his story as he dismissed Cyclops, his presense almost immeadiately replaced by Jean Grey's.

_'I can tell you're lying about Cerebro not having a file on Aiyen, I'm just as good a telepath as you are. Charles, what does that file say that has you scared?'_

_'Jean… these two are stronger psychics than I am!'_

**TO BE CONTINUED…

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Author Note: Well, whaddya think? Not the best I've ever done, but it's good enough to suffice for a chapter. see ya when I decide to update!


	2. Chapter Two

Reviewer Responses:

**Mystic Kaiba:** I'm glad Aiyen scares you, mon ami. because if i did my job right, then a lot of people will like it.

**Venny:** Aiyen has a purpose other than hooking up with a character, it's just not revealed for a while. the 'life energy into explosives' thing is explained later in this chapter. as for Magneto being amazed by Aiyen and Kairyu, i guess that didn't get typed the way i wanted it to. i meant to type ammusement, but at three am in the dark on a sunday morning after an all-nighter it's kinda hard to type accurately.

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men, or the Brotherhood, or anything else of that nature. I own Aiyen and Kairyu Runke, the plot of this story, and my creepy thoughts.

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**THE NEXT MORNING**

I woke up around two thirty in the morning, tossing and turning for about half an hour before getting dressed and going back to New York to visit a bar. Sitting around watching my whiskey and smoking a cigarette, I caught a glimps of a familiar face from yesterday.

_Oh shit, it's that clawed guy again. The bartender knows already, but it that guy lets it slip that I'm a mutant to the whole bar..._ My thoughts got cut off when he sat next to me, ordering a beer and looking me over. "What're you lookin' at?"

"The 17 year-old sitting in a New York bar, what else?" He dropped his voice when the bartender moved down the line to tend to other peoples bar needs. "What's a Brotherhood mutant doing in a bar full of humans, let alone getting along with them?"

"I don't even know who you are, so what makes you think I'm going to tell you anything other than to go suck a dick and leave me alone?" I said with a laugh, putting my cigarette out and draining my glass before the bartender came back. "Besides, this guy knows he's serving an under-aged mutant. I'm here almost every night, right Jack?"

"Aye, that I do. In fact, Aiyen's my best customer next to you. I don't care that she's different, just as long as she doesn't start anything. I trust her as much as I do you, Logan." Jack said, smiling at me and leaving me alone with Logan.

"So, your name's Logan? I've heard Mystique talk about you, and about a slight run in you two had in a tent." I said, watching the look on his face go from bored to pissed in under a second. "Damn, the way you act you'd think she tried to kill you."

"She did once, or did she conveniently forget to tell ya about that?" I shrugged, thinking about the argument that insued after Magneto and Mystique got back from Alkali Lake with Pyro. "She wasn't in her normal form, I though she was someone else."

"You thought she was Jean Grey. The telepath that died trying to save the X-Men, I saw something about it on the news. Magneto and Mystique refuse to talk about it, though, and they forbid Pyro to say anything about his time with the X-Men." I downed the rest of my whiskey, not even effected by the liquor as Jack refilled my glass again. Logan downed his beer and ordered something stronger, ending up with a glass of Jack Danniel's. "Hey Jack, have you heard anything else about that Kincaid guy trying to reintroduce the Mutant Registration Act?"

"Unfortunately no, I haven't. That would be bad news for all three of us, wouldn't it?" Logan's jaw dropped, making me assume that he didn't know Jack knew he was a mutant. "Don't worry Logan, your secret safe with me. Just between us, I be a mutant, too. I generate electricity, so it's my powers that keep this place lit most of the time."

"Well ain't that somethin'... " Logan asked, glaring at me when I rolled my eyes.

"He doesn't tell people on the off-chance that some one hears him that wants to do us harm, like the Anti-Mutant Troops that attacked me yesterday."

"You were attacked, Aiyen?" I started explain what had happened to Jack, then the door opened. I looked over briefly before looking back at my drink, cursing how bad my luck was. "Hello General Kincaid, how are you this early morning?"

"Quite well Jack, thank-you for asking. Give me the usual, only make it a double." The Head Hancho of the Anti-Mutants these days said, looking me and Logan over carefully, bofore his eyes settled on me. "You don't look 21, do you have an ID?" I dug around in my pocket and pulled out the fake ID I kept for emergencies like this, handing it over to Kincaid in hopes that would be the last of the questions. He looked it over carefully, handing it back when he was satisfied that it was me in the picture.

"Hey Jack, I gotta get going. You know how to get ahold of me if you hear anything else about the Registration Act, I promised dad I'd keep him posted on the info. Bye Logan, it was nice talking to you." I paid my tab and walked out, not wanting to give Kincaid a chance to recognize me from the last time he tried a Registration Act. So I started walking around, knowing that Magneto and Mystique were probably awake and going at it by now. That wasn't something I wanted to get involved in, so wandering around New York it was. _There's no way my luck is that bad! I mean, what are the chances of Kincaid walking into THAT particular bar!_ I thought while walking around, not paying much attention to where I was going and winding up bored and back on Asteroid M.

Kairyu was awake already, his mind occupied with the illusion he had Blob and Sabretooth trapped in. I rolled my eyes and started to walk away, annoyed with my brother and his stupidity.

"Magneto's just a little pissed at you, Shadow. Leaving in the middle of the night, fraternizing with the enemy, AND talking to an Anti-Mutant activist. He even snapped at Mystique when he realized you were gone, so she's been out and about since about five." Kairyu said with a laugh, still ammused with his illusion. I ignored him and walked away, running right into the last person I wanted to see while wearing jeans.

"And where have you been, little Runke?" Magneto said, turning his powers on me with an angry glare. I glared back and tried to force his mind into letting me go, already pissed with his helmet and ready to kill him.

"I swear, Magneto, if Aunt Raven didn't love you I would have killed you myself." I growled, remembering the body suit I wore that also kept me in constant pain. Shrugging out of my jacket and taking my jeans off, I sent Magneto flying into the nearest wall and walked away. _Damn him! That's all I gotta say is damn him!_ I somehow ended up back on Earth, and in yet another disagreement with the X-Men. "What do you want, I haven't done anything wrong this time X-Dorks."

"You're a murderer, that's all we need to know." The Summers dork was starting to get on my nerves, even more than Magneto had. I shrugged it off as lingering agitation, trying to just walk away from them. As usual, it didn't work.

"Listen Summers, I'm not the person to mess with right now. So if you don't want to join those Troops in Hell, I suggest you piss off and leave me alone." He didn't move, but that didn't really surprise me. He was worse than Havok, and that was saying something since Havok was stubborn as an ass sometimes. "I don't want to kill you, Summers, or the telepath. But mark my words, I will if I have to."

"You listen to me kid, your threats don't scare me."

"You Summers idiots talk tough, but that's all you are. Tough talk and weak-minded, illusion-induced entertainment." I knew he wouldn't use his powers in public, so I was safe for the time being. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I have things to do and people to avoid. Auf Wiedersehen, X-Men." I walked away from them quickly, brushing passed the small group that had gathered and continuing on my way. Glad this hadn't ended in bloodshed, I knew I had to avoid Asteroid M for a couple days tops.

But that was easier said then done, since General Kincaid had started spreading the word about the Brotherhood. After a while, the humans started to get suspicious of every human and old man that crossed their paths. So trying to find a hotel room was out of the question, and I was flat broke anyways. And seeing as I didn't have a family in this country, I guess I was stuck sleeping in the park. While on my way to lunch, I bumped into the last person I wanted to see: Mystique.

"Well, there you are! Have you been back to Asteroid M lately, brat?"

"Yes Aunt Raven, I went back to deal with Magneto. That's why I'm walking around New York in a body suit, because I wanted to get away from there A.S.A.P." I said in an agitated tone, walking away from Mystique. I could hear her footsteps follow me, so I looked back and stopped her telekineticly. "I want you to leave me alone, Mystique." _'Go back to Asteroid M. And if you tell anyone where I am, you'll regret it for the rest of your life.'_

I let her go before my powers forced her out of her disguise, walking quickly away before she tried to follow me again. The day passed slowly, leaving me in the park that night glad it wasn't raining or cold.

**MEANWHILE; X-MANSION, NARRATIVE**

"Logan, why were you talking to that kid in a bar this morning?" Jean asked quietly, making Logan look around quickly and glare.

"So now yer spyin' on me, Jeannie?" He asked in an accusing tone, earning a glare from the telepath.

"No, I'm not spying on you, Professor Xavier just thought it would be a good idea to keep an eye on you. You've been a little uptight lately and he wants to make sure you don't do anything stupid, I just ended up being the one to come talk to you because Professor Xavier thinks you won't kill me."

"So, it's Chuck's fault that yer spyin' on me?" :SNIKT:

"If you want to be stubborn or murderous, Wolverine, then go be stubborn and murderous somewhere else. We don't need your temper around the kids, and with exams comming up they don't need your temper either."

Wolverine didn't answer, he just retracted his claws, grabbed his coat and walked out of the room. His feet led him to City Park, and the park path lead him toward the tree Aiyen was sitting in reading a book written in German.

**AIYEN P.O.V.**

"Hey squirt, what are you doing in a tree?" I jumped and fell out of the tree, landing on my back in a bush. I swore loudly and crawled out of the bush, growling and tackling a laughing Logan. Still angry with Magneto, I punched Logan as hard as I could to relieve some of my frustrations. A sharp pain shot through my hand, but I ignored it and kept punching him. "Why you little... !" He caught my wrists and forced me against a tree, growling and letting his claws extend into my arms. "Listen kid, yer fighting a losing battle if you think you can beat me with yer fists. I'll let you go this once, but if we hafta have this chat again you ain't walkin' away from it. Got it?" His claws tore deeper into my arms, the blood flowing freely around the ademantium blades and dripping to the ground. I laughed quietly and kicked him where it hurt, feeling his claws rip into my forearms again before he pulled them away and raised his hand to kill me.

"Oh shit... " I ducked quickly and dove to the side, feeling for the sword I knew wasn't there. Cursing my luck and dodging another claw attack, I took my chances and pulled my gloves off. I could see a bright green glow in the area, Logan's life energy glowing bright blue in the darkness. I concentrated on his energy, smirking at the small explosion before running for it. Not wanting to be around if anyone showed up to investigate the explosions, I ran until I found a water fountain to wash my arms off and investigate the deep gashes that barely missed the bones. "Damn, these are too deep, they'll get infected if I don't find a way to heal them soon. But I'm broke, and the only other option is going back to the Brotherhood. Way to go, Aiyen, you've really shoved your head up your ass this time." I looked around, realizing I was alone. "You know, I've really gotta stopped talking to myself. I'm crazy enough already."

And so I started walking, hoping that Logan was either out cold or dead. But of course, my luck has never that good... I couldn't sense him sneaking up on me, so I didn't know he was there until he pounced on me and slammed his claws into my side. Cursing loudly and turning around, my fingers brushed his chest and there was another... larger explosion. The force knocked Logan back, slaming my head into the ground and knocking me out.

**TO BE CONTINUED...

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Author Note: ooookay then... i'm laying of the comics and Mutant X TV show. just give me Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and and my teddy bear from now on. see ya next update!


	3. Chapter Three

Author Note: question & answer time! These are just questions that I'm tired of answering for my betas/ brother and his friend, and that one of my reviewers had. Please note that some of these questions were quite profane at one point.

Q: if Jean Grey died at the end of **X2: X-Men United**, how is she in this story if it takes place after the movie?  
A: this story is an alternate universe fanfiction, so maybe I didn't want Jean to die.

Q: okay, so it's an AU. How come Aiyen made mention of Jean's death, if she never died in the first place?  
A: she did die, she just didn't stay dead. Read this chapter, and you should figure that one out.

Q: if Aiyen thought Jean was dead, how come she didn't panic when she saw Jean and Cyclops after leaving that bar because of General Kincaid?  
A: **BAR** is the keyword there, peoples! You see, Aiyen was drunk at the time!

Q: who exactly is General Kincaid?  
A: General William Kincaid is an Anti-Mutant activist, whose only issue with mutants is that his family was killed by a mutant. Or in other words, he's just an evil jerk who's just out to destroy the mutant race. Also, Kincaid is the villain of X-Men Legends, and I guess he dies when the X-Men destroy Mastermold. Let that be a lesson to you, kiddies: never sit behind the controls of a giant Sentinel hoping to take out the X-Men just because they're there.

Q: How the hell is Kincaid around if he's dead?  
A: Kincaid is around after he died because I revived him, too.

Q (last one, I promise): There are other people with the code name "Shadow" in the X-Men universe? And no, Shadowcat/ Kitty Pryde doesn't count!

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men, or the Brotherhood, or anything else of that nature. I own Aiyen and Akiryu Runke, the plot of this story, and my creepy thoughts. _Drachenreider_ is a very nice German book, and it's copyrighted to Carmeila Funke in the States. so that means I don't own that either, but it'll be mantioned quite a bit for a while.

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**X-MANSION; NARRATIVE**

"Damn it, Scott, you don't have to be such a prick! You were in that kids shoes before, not knowing where to go or who to trust." Jean shouted across the room, having retreated to a safe distance when her head started to hurt.

"But I didn't throw my life away and join the Brotherhood, did I?" Cyclops shouted back, the two making sure the whole mansion heard what they were saying.

"**WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP? NORMAL MUTANTS SLEEP BEFORE EXAMS, YA KNOW!**" Bobby Drake shouted from his room, freezing half the upstairs in his anger. "**DAMN, I'D ALMOST RATHER YOU WERE HAVING SEX AND KEEPING EVERYONE UP!**"

"**BOBBY!**" A few older guys shouted from their rooms, some doors slamming loudly while some of the girls giggled.

"**EEEEEWWWWWWW!**" Some of the younger kids shouted, more doors slamming as most of them tried to go back to sleep.

"Ah agree with Jean, we were all in Aiyen's shoes once. Even more so with me, Rogue and Orcania. If yuh hafta blame some one for Aiyen joinin' the Brotherhood, blame her mama for kickin' her out." Niala said from the doorway, her eyes trained on the ground so she didn't have to look anyone in the eye. "So, if Ah may quote Jean, you don't haft be such a prick."

"Yeah Cyclops, stop being such a prick just because of Aiyen. Focus on the important things, like why we're awake when we have exams tomorrow." Orcania said quietly, standing beside Niala and laughing at Cyclops' expression.

"Good point. Now go to bed, you both have exams tomorrow and you won't be excused if you over sleep!" Niala and Orcania both rolled their eyes and headed back upstairs, Jean taking the opportunity to leave. Cyclops didn't turn back to where Jean was standing until he was sure the two teens were back upstairs, and just complained under his breath as he walked to his room. He was far from finished with this argument, but he wasn't about to follow Jean and finish this in the streets of Westchester. _Damn it, tomorrow's going to be a fun day._

**JEAN P.O.V. **

I walked around with no apparent goal, wondering what had happened in the few months since my death to make the two weeks since I got back so much hell for everyone. Did they want me dead, or had something happened that no one wants to tell me about? Logan had been the only one even remotely glad to see me, and that didn't last very long. The new guy seemed to be the cause of his annoyance; I think he said his name was Gambit. It seemed almost like the mansion had been World War III while I was dead.

It still seems so strange, referring to my three-month disappearance as my death. I don't remember being dead, or even being revived. Just waking up with some weird teenager who seemed to know me better than I did, and had an attitude that rivaled Logan's, standing over me.

**FLASHBACK; 2 WEEKS PREVIOUS**

"Where am I?" I tried to sit up, but failed miserably at the task. It was just too cold, and my body felt like it was frozen.

"Alkali Lake, Alaska. Hold still, I'll warm your body up de same way I revived you." I wanted to question her, but I didn't get a chance to. The girl placed her hand on my lower back, a searing heat spreading through my body as soon as she did. My new concern was who this kid was, and why she seemed so familiar. "Dere. Feeling any better, Jean?" I stood up, feeling much better than before.

"Much better, thank you. So... who are you?"

"I've been called many dings, but I answer most to Akiryu."

"Why do I know you?" Akiryu laughed. A kind of cold laugh, despite the heat radiating from her body and the flame glowing behind her gasoline colored eyes. "What's so funny?"

"If you half de telepath I've heard you are, den you involuntarily forged a link wid my mind when I used my powers on you. Stuff like dat happens, you know."

"How do you know me?"

"I've been following you, and de X-Men. Come on, Poisyn can get us back to New York. From dere you on your own, petite." I didn't have any other way home, so I just followed the teenager away from the iced-over facility.

**END FLASHBACK; NARRATIVE**

"Well, if it isn't that creepy telepath that refuses to stay dead." A sneering voice said from Jean's left, coming from a dark-haired teenager leaning against a tree in City Park. He was about 6 foot tall, and his pale blue eyes glinted dangerously because of the streetlights. Tight black jeans and a black sleeveless shirt covered his muscled body, black ademantium-alloy gloves covering his hands from his knuckles to about 1/4 the way up his forearms. If Jean hadn't met Akiryu 2 weeks before, she could of sworn this boy was the Devil himself. "Something wrong, Jean, you seem tense."

"Who the hell are you, and how do you know my name?" The teen just laughed, his eyes flashing appreciatively over her body.

"How rude of me, _schön_. My name is Kairyu Runke, but the Brotherhood calls me Deathblade. I think it's just a joke, though. You see they don't think very highly of me, the Brotherhood." He said, walking up to Jean and bowing to kiss her hand. "As for how I know your name, Pyro doesn't know how to shut up about you. I must admit, you're much prettier than he made you sound." Jean laughed nervously and snatched her hand back, earning a glare from Kairyu.

"You're quite the charmer, but I have to go now. But it was nice to meet you, Kairyu." Jean started to walk away, but found her path blocked by the young telepath. He didn't look happy, and this worried Jean. Kairyu's pale sapphire eyes turned a darker shade of blue, matching the late night sky as he struggled to keep Jean's mind under his power.

"Magneto was right, you're about the biggest idiot I've ever met!" Kairyu's eyes flicked over to the shadows he had stood in, drawing his sword as realization struck.

"Why's that, Summers?" Kairyu asked before a plasma bolt slammed into his side, knocking him a few feet away from Jean. He stayed on his feet, and his glare stayed intact.

"Because you stood still. Any idiot could of dodged that, any telekinetic could have easily blocked it." Havok grabbed Kairyu's sword from the ground, narrowing his eyes at the teenager. "Get up and help me find Aiyen, or you'll get a good taste of your sword. (A/ N: i don't know Havok's character, so just kinda deal with it if he's OOC. he sounds like a bit of a smartass in X-Men Legends and X-Men Next Dimension, so he'll probably be quite the smartass in this story.)

"Why should I? Aiyen's a big mutant, she can take care of herself." Kairyu said, ducking under another plasma bolt. "Alright, don't be ajackass about it. I'm going already, just gimme my sword back."

"No, I think I'll keep ahold of this untilJean is safely away from you." Havok started to walk away, making Kairyu mad as hell. But without his sword, or his sister, he couldn't do anything about it except walk away muttering in German.

**NOON THE NEXT DAY; AIYEN P.O.V.**

I sat up and rubbed my head, feeling like a truck had hit me. Bandages covered my arms from wrist to elbow, and the feeling of gauze against my side meaning someone had bandaged my other wound, too. The room was bright, and the last thing I remembered was Wolverine attacking me.

"Good morning, Aiyen." I recognized the voice, and it made me mad.

"What do **YOU** want, traitor?" I saw Niala flinch, but she took a step closer to me. Orcania was standing by the door, almost like she was afraid of me. I liked this, since they had been traitors to the Brotherhood.

"Ah just wanted to make sure ya were okay, since Wolverine tried to kill ya afteh he woke up." I shrugged. "Maybeh he should of killed ya, then maybeh that attitude of yours wouldn't be a problem with evrehbody!"

"Niala, you know you don't mean that. You guys were best friends once, so be nice!"

"**NO**!" We both shouted, earning glares from the two people sitting around: Professor Xavier, and... Jean Grey? What the hell?

"What the hell... " I voiced my thoughts, watching confusion flicker through the small metal room that I was in.

"Yeah, it's amazin' how they say she refuses to stay dead." I saw Jean shrug. "Hello... Earth ta Aiyen!"

"What?"

"She's worse than that brother of hers, isn't she?" This annoyed me. I stayed quiet, hoping they would let me go. No such luck... "I think it would be best if you stayed here a couple days, that way we can be sure your wounds will heal and they don't end up infected."

"Get over yourself, lady. I'm not staying here, and you can't make me."

"Aiyen! Beh nahce ta Jean, she's just tryin' ta help!" I glared at Niala, who instinctively glared back. Orcania finally walked over, droping a bag on the floor and walking away again. Niala started to explain. "Havok brought 'em with him when he was makin' sure your brotheh didn't do anythin' stupid." I laughed. Kairyu was always doing something stupid, and Summers couldn't change that. Turned out it was a change of clothes and my sword.

"I wish to have a word with you anyways, Ms. Runke." Professor Xavier spoke for the first time since I regained consciousness, making me flinch from the sudden formality. I hated formalities, almost as much as I hated the Brotherhood. But I was stuck with the Brotherhood, and my arms and side hurt too much to do anything about the formalities. "What exactly happened to annoy Wolverine enough to attack you, let alone injure you this badly?"

"I was in a tree reading Drachenreider, he walked by and scared me off the limb I was on. I fell, hit my head, and tried to knock him out for scaring me and because Magneto had already pissed me off. Next thing I know, I'm pinned to a tree with claws in my arms by an angry Wolverine. Speaking of which, did anyone find my book?" Jean handed me the book and I glared at her, but I did have manners. "Thank-you for returning my book to me, may I please go now?"

"Not yet, I still have a few questions for you." I rolled my eyes and sat Drachenreider down, pulling my jeans on while Xavier asked his next question. "What were you doing away from Asteroid M?"

"Do you not understand English, old man? I said Magneto pissed me off, and he's the last person I wanna see right now."

"Why is that?"

"Because I'll kill the barmy old coger and be done, that's why."

"What does Magneto want with Jean?"

"Who said he wants Jean?"

"We were able to squeeze some information out of your brother, and he mentioned something about Magneto having plans that I could mess up." Jean said, crossing her arms. I had to do something to get out of this, and I didn't have a way to explain.

"'Brotherhood Elite' does **NOT** mean Magneto tells us everything he's planning, just like we don't tell him everything. He's got his secrets and we've all got ours, it's simple as that." _Oh shit... Shouldn't of said that!_ "So in other words, I don't know what he wants with Jean. You're a telepath, Xavier, probe his mind next time you see him and find out."

"You and your brother are stronger than I am?" I rolled my eyes at this. Xavier was getting on my nerves, and the throbbing pain in my side wasn't helping.

_'Individually... no. On the rare and happy occasion we can get along long enough for our powers to fall into unison... ja.'_ I started using telepthy, hoping the pain in my ribs would go away. It dimmed, so I stuck with it. _'May I leave now, Professor Xavier?'_

"If you wish, you may stay for lunch. If not, then we'll see you the next time the Brotherhood does something stupid." I stood up and hid my sword under my left pants leg, throwing my shirt on and grabbing my book. Niala opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off.

_'I'm not staying.'_ I stated simply, following her and Orcania. Once upstairs, I made a beeline for the door without so much as a good-bye. But I was stopped, yet again, by an X-Man. This one I actually knew. "Guten tag, Kurt. Stört etwas sie, vetter?"

"Nein, aber dort ist etwas, das Sie stört. Ich kann ihm glauben, mich erinnere?" His yellow eyes locked with my pale lavender ones, as if searching my soul for the answer. "Do you vish to talk about it, Fräulein Runke?"

"Nein, es gibt nichts, über Kurt zu sprechen." I said before turning away from him, unable to hold my cousins gaze any longer. The park didn't sound like a good idea, so I traced the path to jack's bar in my mind. I fell asleep there half the time anyways, and there was a McDonald's on the way there. _Hm, I wonder if Jack's busy by now? I still need to ask him if he knows anything new about the Registration Act, and find out what Kincaid wanted yesterday. Damn, I've already got a busy day!_

**X-MANSION; NARRITIVE**

"I don't know, Professor. You think we can trust her, but that doesn't explain why she's with the Brotherhood." Cyclops said, glaring to his brother when Havok laughed. "What's so funny, Alex? Spit it out, I like a joke as much as the next mutant!"

"Aiyen hates the Brotherhood, she only stays because she and Kairyu don't have anywhere else to go." Havok said. "Well, aside from back to the German military as living Sentinels. But, she'd still be against everyone. It's just a teenage thing, Scott, she'll grow out of it... eventually... I think."

"I want to believe we can trust her, Scott. Every time she ended up in a confrontation with you, she's tried to walk away without bloodshed. I believe that even her confrontation with the Anti-Mutant Troops would have ended peacefully, if she's seen a way around killing them."

"She's not the kind to jump into a fight. If she's thinking straight she'll avoid conflict long enough to come up with a plan, preferably one that doesn't involve bloodshed. On the otherhand, Kairyu's a moron. He'll jump head first into a fight if there's a pretty girl around, then nearly get himself killed if Aiyen isn't around to save his stupid ass. Even then he's not exactly safe, Aiyen kicks his ass for being stupid." Havok said, wondering exactly why he was still here. "Hell, the little brat was drunk when she tried to walk away from you. Probably still thinking better than most drunks, but still drunk."

"That explains her confusion when she saw me, I'm supposed to be dead."

"Speaking of which, Jean. Have you heard from that girl since you came back?"

"No, but - "

"Gambit has, Professeur! And he dought you might wanna know dat Wolverine jes' a little "annoyed" wid de whole sitiation." Gambit poked his head through the door, hitting the dirt when Wolverine swung at him. "Uh... Gambit give you a way to get ahold of Akiryu in a sec, as soon as Wolverine done trying to kill him." The Cajun charged Wolverine's arm and ran for it, hiding behind Niala and Orcania. "Assist moi, svp?"

"Wolverine! SIT BOY!" Orcania said, Wolverine calming down and walking away. "Heh... I guess InuYasha does help in real life. You owe me five bucks Rogue, it DOES work!"

"Gambit gotta r'member dat one, and de Professeur needs Akiryu's phone number." Gambit walked away, leaving the two sitting there. They shrugged at each other and looked over at Wolverine, who was sitting quitely in a corner. Rogue came downstairs with an angry look on her face, looking around the room.

"Gambit went thataway, Rogue." One of the new kids said, her bright green eyes following Rogue as she walked away. "Something tells me I shouldn't of said that... should I?"

"Rogue's always mad at Gambit, it's best to tell her where he is than to let them argue at night. If that ends up happening, Gambit ends up sleeping in the Med Lab and nobody gets to sleep until about 4 am. Except for Cyke, he can sleep through anything."

"I HEARD THAT!" Cyclops shouted from Professor Xavier's office, glaring at the door when Havok left.

"See ya ladies, and you two made a good choice leaving the Brotherhood when you did." He said before he left, starting his search (yet again) for Aiyen.

**TO BE CONTINUED...

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**Mystic Kaiba:** yes... creepy, there's a reason for it though. and you know it, so see ya!

**Boone & Ni:** no Boone... you can't have her. Ni, these's nothing I can do about Boone. He's your friend... you do something about him.

**Venny:** From the beginning:

1) question answered, they have to work together and then just **LOSE** it!  
2) if you've ever seen X2: X-Men United, then you know Jean Grey died at the end of the movie. Shadows of the HellsFire, another story I'm working on and the fic that Jean's flashback came from, takes place from the mall scene in the movie to about a month before this begins. Akiryu Cooper, the creepy teenager, revived Jean because she has a purpose. back to X2, Mystique disguised herself as Jean Grey when she saw Wolverine kiss her because he has this huge crush on Jean through out the movies. Some stuff happns in Wolverine's tent, he finds the scar from the first movie when he slashed her side open, and kicked Mystique out. Hopefully that helped, and I really didn't mean to confuse anybody.  
3) the research I did didn't reveal any other X-Men/ Brotherhood members/ mutants in general with the code name "Shadow". Her original code name was "Shinatoa", but that became a whole other character entirely. The story behind Aiyen's code name is a funny one, come to think of it. My dog was being loud, and I seem to have a habbit of typing what I say if I can't keep my eyes on the screen. I shouted at my dog, and ended up using his name (Shadow) as Aiyen's code name. The same holds true with her brother in the other version, my other dog was being a dumbass and I ended up shouting at Kentoa and typing "Kenta".  
4) Kairyu is the comic relief/ pervert of the Brotherhood, the same holding true with Jack and the story in general. If you want more info on Jack, his profile is on my homepage under the name "Inazuma" If not, then -shrug- just review and wait semi-patiently for the next update. Or Shadows of the HellsFire... whichever one gets to the website first.  
SEE YA!

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Author Note: This may or may not get continued here, since I have a website I upload my stories to that I don't have to give a rating or anything for them: shinatoa. tripod. com/ x (underscore) fics remember to remove the spaces and stuff. 


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men, or the Brotherhood, or anything else of that nature. I own Aiyen and Akiryu Runke, the plot of this story, and my creepy thoughts.

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**JACK'S BAR, ONE WEEK LATER; AIYEN P.O.V.**

"Strongest stuff ya got, Jack, or I blow you apart." I muttered quietly, pulling one of my gloves off to emphisize my point. My lavender eyes were on the bar, but I knew he looked confused. My telepthy had been off since the day I spoke with Kurt, and I just wanted my headache to go away. _Great, now I'm using alcohol to get rid of a headache. My life sucks already, and I'm only 17._ My gloves hid the only proof of my dislike of the Brotherhood, the long sleeves of my jacket hiding the reason why I hated them. I had new reasons know, and the scars will haunt me for the rest of my life.

**FLASHBACK; ONE WEEK PREVIOUS**

"Havok said you were at Xavier's Institute, Runke. Why is it that mansion is still intact if this is true, or is Summers lying?" I kept my eyes forward, my left fist clenched tightly as I fought the urge to slug Magneto. He paced the room in front of us, Havok's thoughts drifting toward a conversation he'd had with Cyclops. He obviously didn't like my silence, or he saw my clenched fist, because he slugged me hard enough to make me bleed. Havok flinched before Magneto knocked him into the opposite wall, and that was it for me. I remember throwing my gloves off and lunging at Magneto, then everything went black.

I regained consciousness the next day according to Kairyu, dizzy and covered in deep gashes that looked like they matched Sabretooth's claws. When asked what had happened, my brother simply said it was almost like the sister he'd known was gone. I'd almost killed Magneto, and would of succeeded if Sabretooth hadn't attacked me. We nearly killed each other, and Havok ended up being the hero by draining all his energy to knock us out. Kairyu left me to my thoughts, starting a six day long isolation. I chose to stay in solitary, though, so I wasn't bothered with it.

**END FLASHBACK**

"Bloody hell, what happened to you?" I looked up at Jack as he handed me a glass of vodka, the Brittish mutants concern for me obvious in his lime green eyes. "Ya went at it with Logan, eh?"

"Depends on which ones you mean, Jack. The bandages came from that ass, yeah. The rest of the gashes are from Sabretooth, and the bruises are compliments of Magneto." I drained my glass in one drink, Jack taking the hint and refilling it without me having to ask.

"So, the bloomin' arse hit you did he? Lemme at him, I'll show the git to hit my second best customer!"

"Right, _mon ami_, dat way Magneto kin kill you and de _petite_ has to stay dere wid him." I looked toward the door, the accent sounding familiar. It was the Cajun from last week, and he sounded like he was in a good mood. What caught my attention was his glowing red eyes, and the way the seemed to comfort my soul while I looked at them. That's why I looked away, draining my glass again and hunting down my smokes. I found them easily enough, but I didn't have my lighter. Cursing my luck, I saw the Cajun smirk that cocky Cajun smirk of his and fought the urge to kill him. "Dere you go, _petite_, but you know da's bad for you. _Oui_?" He lit my cigarette for me with what I assumed were his powers, lighting one of his own while lecturing.

"Hypocrite Cajun... " I wasn't complaining, though. "Hey Jack, any news on the Registration Act?"

"Aye, it passes into law at midnight tonight. Ya don't register by midnight tomorrow, then it's the brig for ya mate."

"Isn't this always my luck, getting pinned with something like this when my powers are tuning in on **EVERYBODY** in New York?" I swore quietly and drained my glass again, looking the Cajun over. "You gotta name, Ember Eyes?"

"_Oui cher_, Remy LeBeau at your service." He said, making me laugh. "Whut Gambit say now?"

"Nothin Cajun, I just like Ember Eyes better. Or if you don't like that, Gambit."

"Eidder uv 'em be fine wid Remy, _cher_." I was getting tired of being called 'dear' and 'little one', even though I don't recall ever learning French. But it's a big world, and it's a distinct possibility that I'd tapped into his mind somehow.

"So, we meet again. Eh, mutie?" I flinched visibly, turning to face an angry Kincaid. I guess that picture did clue him off to who I was, and he finally caught up with me.

"Six years later and you still look like you got run over by a truck, then? Yeesh Kincaid, y'ever considered surgery to fix that?" I saw him reach for his gun, so that was my clue to go on my way. I handed Jack a twenty and walked away, cursing my second close call of the day.

**? P.O.V.**

I watched the teenage girl as she left the same bar quickly, her mind occupied with her jumbled thoughts. The name "Logan" drifted in and out of her thoughts a few times, then my brother interrupted mine.

_'Hey sis, Aiyen left Jack's yet?'_

_'Oui. I think she's got a boyfriend or something, the brat keeps thinking about some guy named "Logan" for no reason. So what about the Cajuns, they still refuse to help us?'_ My brother cursed quietly, but answered me anyways.

_'Akiryu refuses to help us without knowing what we're doing, and I won't tell her unless she's not going to help us. Me and Gambit, however, we lost touch.'_ Remembering the discription I'd been given of Gambit, I saw the Cajun walk out of the same bar.

_'Maybe you two have lost touch, but I see a perfect opportunity here. I just hope I can pull this off.'_ As if on cue, Creed showed up behind me. Perfect, he was one of the people I wanted to see. "Hiya Sabretooth, you still willing to owe me your life?"

"Magneto wants to talk to you, Phantom. And he didn't seem happy, kid." My shoulders fell, but I still had an idea. "I don't like that like that look, it usually means I'm in trouble."

"No, it means you owe me, Victor Creed. Shove me off the building, then I'll come back to that hunk of space rock you call a home with you." He narrowed his eyes at me when I returned to my normal form, a five-year-old girl with blonde hair and dark blue eyes, and cocked my head to one side. "Just give me a good, hard shove. Hard enough to make me fall off the roof, okay?"

Creed grinned and followed my orders, the initial contact of my body on the ground knocking my breath out. Gambit saw me fall, and I actually realized that my body hurt as he scooped me up. Finally finding a use for my telepath status, I left my body and went back to Asteroid M with Sabretooth.

**NARRITIVE**

"What is it with New York and mutants attacking people, especially lately!" Cyclops complained, refering to the child Gambit had brought in less than an hour ago. The child was in a deep coma, and no one could find a reason since she had what appeared to be a healing factor deal going on. The minor concussion she had when came in had healed over, but the comatose girl didn't show any signs of waking. "If that kid is a mutant, who could of knocked her off that building? Or worse yet, what could of?"

"Gambit didn't see anything, _homme_, jes' de kid falling. He tried to catch her, but he wasn't fast enough." Gambit said, his red eyes on the ground. "And dat Mutant Registration ding passed, Kincaid and dat bartender both said so."

"We'll worry about the registration later, Cajun. Right now that kid is our top priority, she might be the only person who saw anything that's happened lately." _'Scott... '_ "And if she stays comatose too long we've got a problem." _'SCOTT!'_ "Damn it, I bet the Brotherhood is behind this somehow!" "**EARTH TO SCOTT SUMMERS!**" "Yes Jean?" "Pay attention to the news, you can rant on your own time." Jean turned the news report up, drowning out Cyclops' muttering.

**2 AM; KAIRYU P.O.V.**

"I'm going out." I stated simply, walking past Havok and ending up walking into Blob. "Move it, Fat-Ass, I ain't in the mood for this tonight." I heard the crash, but I didn't so much as smile. I just clenched my fist and walked away, trying vainly to block all the voices in my head out. I'd been losing sleep lately, unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong. Aiyen hadn't been back to Asteroid M in more than 12 hours, and this didn't sit well on my thoughts. And the incesant buzzing of voices in my head wasn't doing anything for me. I recognized one of them as Magneto and Aunt Raven, so I tuned in on them to find out more about Magneto's plans.

_"And... you plan on doing this... how, Erik?"_ I heard Mystique ask, her voice sounding annoyed.

_"Easy, my dear, with a little cooperation from our little demi-god."_

_"Erik, Phantom can't do anything without her body. And in case you forgot already, the X-Men have that."_

_"Yes, but that also means they don't know why she's in a coma. If she makes up some story that pins the blame on us, then continues acting like an innocent little girl, Xavier and his X-Men should be putty in her little hands."_

_Well, this must be what the X-Men wanted me to tell them._ I thought, committing all of this to memory. It might come in handy some day, probably get the X-Men off my case.

_"And if that doesn't work?"_

_"My dear mortal, you sadden me with your distrust. But on the off-chance it doesn't work, there's always my little cuteness factor. Now if you'll excuse me, mes amis, I need to get back to my body before it dies."_ Said a voice I believe belonged to the demi-god known only as Phantom. Leaving Bucket-head and Mystique to their conversation, I realized I knew enough to run to the X-Men and tell them everything. But I wouldn't, since I didn't know what was in this for me and Bucket-head might be able to find out somehow.

I suddenly found myself wondering where Aiyen was, but found myself walking into her little bartender friend. Walking around him, I ignored his order to watch where I'm going. There was something fishy about the missing accent, since Aiyen had said he was Brittish. As soon as I turned around, I wished I had just run for my life. Anti-Mutant Troops surrounded me, all of them shouting power dampeners. At least one of them had to of had a tranquilizer gun, because I was starting to get dizzy and the buzzing in my mind had turned into a thick fog. Without my powers and drugged as hell, there was nothing I could do about them cuffing me. Two sharp cracks split the air and blood started running from wounds on my upper left arm and right side. The Sentinel smirked at me as it returned to it human form, then everything went dark as unconsciousness overtook my mind.

**TO BE CONTINUED...

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Author Note: Sentinels that can turn human, a demi-god working for Magneto, and Kairyu's been captured? Get cozy people, because I think Shadows of the Night just started to heat up. So tune in next time for the next exciting chapter, and hopefully you enjoyed this chapter! Until next time, X-Men!


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